History

The parish church in Chechło is referenced for the first time in sources from 1308. It was destroyed at that time by mercenaries of bishop of Cracow Jan Muskata. In the the 15th century, the church remained under the auspices of knights. Another wooden church was erected probably in 1517; there were a vicariate and a school at the parish, and in the 17th and 18th century, also a hospital for the poor. The present, brick parish church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was created in 1807 in the place of an older one, as a classical, oriented building with a vaulted chancel terminating in a semi-hexagon, a pair of identical localities on the sides, and a significantly wider body covered by a ceiling. The fencing—which is comprised of walls with round, decorative towers in the corner—and the bell tower built some time after the church (approx. in 1830) create a uniform setting with the church. In 1895, the church was thoroughly renovated and extended (a porch was added from the north), and in 1912, it was consecrated. In the 1980s, the roof of the church was laid with sheet metal, and in the 1990s, works inside the church and renovation works on the bell tower were carried out. The Baroque and Rococo fittings originate from the 17th and 18th century, from the previous wooden church.

Description

The church is located in the south-west part of the village, on the southern side of the main country road. It is circumscribed by walls with 4 decorative corner towers. In the brick walls from the south, there is a gate leading to a cemetery, and 5 grave obelisks from approx. 1860. The bricked and plastered bell tower is located to the north from the church, on the line of the walls. The church was built of stone and brick, and plastered. At the meeting point of the nave and the narrower chancel, it is adjoined from the north and south by a little treasure and a sacristy, both build on a rectangular floor plan, creating in the cross section a shape similar to the Latin cross. The vaults over the chancel is made of brick, of groin type, and the nave is covered by a wooden flat ceiling with crown moulding. The storage room, the porch located on the north, and the sacristy adjoining the body from the south, are also covered with wooden ceilings. All roofs are covered with galvanised sheet metal. The façades are partitioned with pilasters, and the semi-hexagonal end section was buttressed with a single-step buttresses. The nave is circumscribed by a string course running below the windows, the chancel and all external walls of annexes feature a profiled crowing cornice in the top section. The front (western) façade is partitioned with panels and frames. On its central axis, there is a rectangular door opening in a niche with a semi-circular top section. The main entrance is framed by a pseudo-portal with a triangular top section, featuring a round window in the gable. The western gable of the nave is separated by a cornice and decorated with 9 slender blind windows with semicircular arches. The main altar is Baroque in style and incorporates a painting of Mary with Baby Jesus, in a Baroque silver dress. Out of 4 side altars, 2 are located on the eastern wall of the nave and originate from the mid-17th century.

The church can be viewed from outside.

compiled by Tomasz Woźniak, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Krakow, 04-05-2015.

Bibliography

• Decyzja nr nr rej. A-697/M w sprawie wpisania dobra kultury do rejestru zabytków nieruchomych województwa krakowskiego z dnia dn. 31-12-1960 r., archiwum MWKZ Kraków
• Dyba O., Majka M., Zabytki architektury i budownictwa w Polsce, t.18, cz.2, Województwo krakowskie, Warszawa 1995
• Krasnowolski B., Leksykon zabytków architektury Małopolski, Warszawa 2013
• Dziechciarz O., Przewodnik po ziemi olkuskiej, t. II, Olkusz, 2000
• Kiryk F., Kołodziejczyk R., (red.) Dzieje Olkusza i regionu olkuskiego, t. I-II, Warszawa, Kraków, 1978
• Wiśniewski J., Historyczny opis kościołów, miast, zabytków i pamiątek w olkuskiem, Marjówka Opoczyńska 1933